Era of Mist

The playboy wore a cheeky grin, every bit the seasoned Casanova. He was dressed immaculately from head to toe, from his shirt to his leather shoes, all in the latest styles. He subtly angled his wrist to show off his expensive watch and shifted his hips, making the luxury car keys on his belt jingle. He looked every bit the professional pick-up artist.

Shi Tiexin looked the man up and down, then glanced at his own outfit. He had to admit, this flashy peacock’s getup was definitely more likely to attract women. He couldn’t help but feel a little defeated.

But when he looked back at Miss Red Skirt, she was completely unmoved.

Her expression was frigid, carrying an icy demeanor that kept everyone at arm’s length—an air of condescension and disdain. When combined with her ethereal yet dark aura, that disdain made it impossible to look away.

The playboy was practically drooling.

Miss Red Skirt didn’t say a word, didn’t even spare him a glance. She simply raised her near-perfect left arm, extended her slender fingers toward the bartender, and gave a crisp, elegant SNAP.

The playboy was still trying to figure out what was happening when, at the command of that snap, the tall bartender behind the counter spoke to him. "Sir, the lady next to you isn’t here to have fun. She’s here for work."

"For work?"

The playboy was surprised, then overjoyed. He never imagined that a woman who exuded such a high-class aura was actually here to work at the entertainment complex.

In that instant, a buzz filled the entire billiards café as the men in the room grew restless. ’A girl that beautiful is worth any price!’

Only Shi Tiexin suddenly felt a pang of disappointment.

Suddenly, the whole scene lost its appeal. He turned to leave, not wanting to see her entertaining a client. He wanted to go back to his private room on the second floor, swap the beer for some hard liquor, and drink until he could completely forget the vision in red.

The playboy’s overjoyed voice came from behind him. "W-Well then, I’ll cut to the chase! Babe, name your price. How much?"

’Hmph. What a grating voice!’ Shi Tiexin felt a surge of anger.

But it was the bartender who answered again. "Sir, five hundred."

"Five hundred?!"

It wasn’t just the playboy; Shi Tiexin could hear the men near him whispering to each other.

"That cheap?"

"No way!"

"Think she’s got some kind of disease?"

"Even if she does... it’s still worth it! Just use protection, take a gamble. Makes it even more exciting~ Heh heh heh heh..."

Shi Tiexin’s expression grew even darker.

He didn’t know why, but he was suddenly filled with hatred for this damn world.

"I’ll pay five hundred! Let’s go, come on, show me a good time~"

"No, no, sir, you’ve misunderstood." The bartender’s voice drifted into his ears. "This lady only works in the billiards section. She’s a competitor preparing for the World Billiards Championship. She’s just borrowing our space to practice and, in the meantime, will play a couple of frames with our guests. The five hundred is the price for one game of pool."

Huh?!

Shi Tiexin stopped in his tracks.

He decided to stick around and see how things developed.

"A pool player?"

"Five hundred for one game? That’s way too expensive!"

"It’s a gimmick. A publicity stunt. It’s got to be fake."

The men around him were whispering, and the playboy seemed to share their sentiment. He figured this was just the woman’s way of playing hard to get; he’d seen plenty of little tricks like this before.

As long as he could get a conversation started, he was fully confident he could conquer any woman with his silver tongue. When that happened, he’d recoup his initial investment, with interest.

"Fine, five hundred. A very reasonable price. For a training partner at the World Championship level, that’s practically a bargain." The playboy paid, making a point to flash his bulging wallet. He then picked up a cue and walked over to the pool table, where the balls were already racked.

Miss Red Skirt stood by the table holding her cue. With a casual tilt of her chin, she indicated that he should break first.

’What a gorgeous chin!’

The playboy’s mind was already elsewhere. He aimed carelessly and broke the rack. Not a single ball went in, but he didn’t care. His eyes were fixed on Miss Red Skirt.

Miss Red Skirt picked up her cue and leaned forward over the table. The playboy, who had been eagerly waiting for this moment, drank in the sight. The graceful, delicate curve of her body from the side was enough to drive a man wild! Her dress was a little too conservative, though; he couldn’t see anything... substantial. Still, that coy, hidden sexiness only made him burn hotter.

’Today, I’ll use every trick in the book to conquer this ice queen!’

’But how to do it?’

’Ah, I’ve got it. The pool table is the perfect prop. I just have to get close to "guide" her shot—my left hand on her left, my right hand on her right, my chest against her back, my hips naturally pressing against that ass, and then... heh heh heh heh...’

’Time to make my move!’

"I say..."

CRACK. Miss Red Skirt sank a ball and moved to a new position to line up her next shot.

"Your left hand..."

CRACK. Another shot, another ball pocketed. Miss Red Skirt moved again.

"Hey, your form isn’t quite right..."

CRACK. Yet another shot. Miss Red Skirt pivoted gracefully, the hem of her skirt fluttering, and the playboy failed to even brush against her.

The playboy was trying to execute his plan, just waiting for her to miscue or miss a single shot. The moment she did, he’d pounce with great fanfare and offer some "hands-on" instruction.

But as fast as his mind was working, the girl was playing even faster. In the short time he spent plotting his strategy, a constant series of CRACKS from the cue and the soft thuds of balls dropping into pockets echoed around the table. By the time the playboy came to his senses, he saw the final black ball get cleanly knocked into the pocket.

It was over!

A five-hundred-yuan game, over in a flash! The whole thing took less than two minutes. Aside from his opening break, the playboy hadn’t even touched a cue stick!

SNAP. Miss Red Skirt snapped her fingers at the bartender again.

The tall, brawny bartender immediately left the bar and planted himself in front of the playboy. "Sir, your game is over."

"I... This... You..." The playboy felt like he’d been scammed. "That was five hundred yuan! I didn’t even get to touch the cue stick—"

"You did touch it. You made the opening break." The bartender flexed his muscles, his expression remaining polite. "I told you, this lady is a World Championship competitor. She’s here for a practice session. If we were playing by standard rules, you likely wouldn’t have gotten a chance to touch the cue at all. She was already going easy on you."

"I... I!" The playboy’s face flushed red, and he began to shout frantically, "This is unacceptable! It doesn’t count! This is a rip-off! Where’s the manager? I want to see the manager! I’m going to..."

The vision in red strolled over, an air of nonchalance about her.

Miss Red Skirt spoke, her voice low-pitched but with a beautiful timbre. Her cadence was slow and relaxed, lending her an air of authority, and every word seemed to penetrate straight to the soul.

"Are you trying to pick me up?"

The playboy froze, not expecting her to be so direct. ’Things are moving a little fast, aren’t they?’ But of course, the playboy wouldn’t get stage fright. He wasn’t afraid of anything she might say. As long as he could keep the conversation going, everything would be easy.

So the playboy immediately flashed his well-practiced smile—the one that was sunny, straightforward, and just a little bit wicked. "I am. When a woman is as beautiful as you are, who wouldn’t want to try?"𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂